Elevator and conveyer



(No Model.)

M. A. SHEPARD. I ELEVATOR AND OONVEYER. No. 304,241. Paftented Aug.26,1884.

UNTT D STATES PATENT @rricn.

MOBRILL A. SHEPARD, OF LEBANON, ILLINOIS.

ELEVATOR AND CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 304,241, dated August26, 1884.

Application filed January 24, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern;

Be itknown that I, MonRILL A. SHEPARD, of the city of Lebanon, in thecounty of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in He vators and Gonveyers, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Reference is made to the claims for statement of the invention.

used.

Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of the elevator, showing one of thedriving-wheels. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of one of the elevator-buckets at 3 3,Fig. 2, said bucket being adapted for either a horizontal conveyer orfor avertical or inclined elevator. Fig. 4 is a transverse section ofthe bucket in form suited for elevator. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectionthrough the hinge at 5 5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a transverse section throughabucket suitable for conveying earth, grain, or any solid material.

The elevator or conveyor is composed of a number of similar bucketshinged together in an endless chain with suitable supporting andpropelling machinery.

I will first describe the construction of the buckets.

A A are end pieces, that may be made of wood, as shown, and will be sodescribed, although iron or other suitable material may be The ends Aare shown of diamond form.-

B is a trough bent to fit two or three edges, a, of the pieces A, andsecured to the edges, so as to form the sides of the bucket.

O O are metal straps overlying the ends of the plate B and surroundingthe pieces A, as shown. At the acute corners of the buckets are thecoupling or pintle rods D, which have bearing in the inner corners ofthe straps O, and against a metal box, IE, inserted beneath the strap atthe corner of the pieces A, as shown in Figs. 3, 4t, and 6. Thepintle-rod has upon it alug or teat, F, that enters a hole in the plateB, so as to prevent endwise movement in the rod, the elasticity of therod al lowing it to be sprung outward for the insertion of the teat FrIn order to prevent the lateral movement of one bucket relatively to thebucket to which it is hinged, the straploops 0 0 of one bucket areoutside the loopsv 0 c of the other bucket. I prefer for the loops 0,that are upon the outside, to be at the forward side of each bucket, andthe inside loops, 0, to be at the rear end, the end pieces, A, being seta little nearer together at the rear or lower side. This construction isnot, however, essential. In a vertical conveyer or elevator the trough Bis fitted to the two lower sides, a a, (see Fig. 4,) whereas in ahorizontal conveyer the trough is fitted to thetwo under sides a a. (SeeFig. 6.)

In Fig. 3, where the bucket serves both to .carry the material bothhorizontally and vertically, the trough B is secured to the three. sidesor edges are a of the end pieces,A, leaving only the side I) open forthe entrance and exit of material. The endless conveyer is supported ateach bend in its course upon wheels H at the inner side of the bend.(See Figs. 1, 2.) One or more of the pairs of wheels are drive-wheels,the other or others being merely for the purpose of keeping the convcyerin position.

The wheels H are set in pairs upon a shaft, I, and having recesses 72,the ends of pintlerods D extending from the recess of one wheel to anopposite recess of the other wheel. The distance of the wheels asunderequals or exceeds the length of a bucket.

To ease the movement of the conveyer and to lessen wear, each bucket mayhave supporting-whcels K, that maybe flanged or grooved to fit them totravel on rails or cables.

The form of bucket shown in Fig. 4 is adapt ed to the elevation ofsolids or liquids, either in a vertical direction or at an inclination,while the buckets, as shown in Fig. 6, are adapted to be filled withsolid matter from above and to carry the same horizontally or in aninclined direction. The buckets constructed as shown in Fig. 3 are notas readily filled as the others, but have the advantage of being equallyapplicable to horizontal or vertical movement. The contents may beeasily discharged from the buckets of either form by simply tilting themor inverting them, which is done at the commencement of the returnmovement.

The parts A, B, and C of the buckets may be secured together by nails orscrews passed through the parts 0 and B into the ends A.

Vhere the ends A are of metal these parts may be secured by screws insubstantially the same manner. WVhere the ends are made of metal thestraps C may be dispensed with and the loops be in form of lugs cast onthe end pieces.

I claim as my invention- 1. A11 elevator or conveyer bucket composed ofthe end pieces, A, side plate, B, and strap 0, forming hinge-loops a,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in an elevator or conveyer, of the buckets composedof the described end pieces, A, with plate B, bent at an angle on one ormore lines and extending on one or more of the edges a of the end piece,the straps 0, having loops 0, and the pintle-rods D, substantially asset forth.

ends A, with corner loops or lugs for attachment to buckets on eitherside, and sideplate, 0 B, secured to the end pieces, A, for the purposeset forth.

MORRILL A: SHEPARD.

Vitnesses:

J. A. SHEPARD, O. M. BECK.

